First Haircut in Disney!

Confession time, my son's first haircut wasn't in Walt Disney World.  I tried and tried to wait it out but it grew shaggy long.  But I wasn't about to miss out on the experience.  He had a trim back home a few months before Disney (yes, both my kids had a full head of hair when they were born), so his official first haircut that we are counting is in Disney.

Harmony Barber Shop on Main Street in the Magic Kingdom does hair for men, women, and kids of all ages.  You can make an appointment, the way we did, through Disney Dining.  It took me a while, as not many agents are familiar with it, but it worked out fantastic for us.  We had our daughter do the Bippity Boppity Boutique in the morning, and our son had his haircut in the afternoon.  That evening we had dinner at the Royal Table in the Castle. 

Here is the Harmony Barber Shop sign.

Once you walk into Magic Kingdom, it is located on the left right after the fire station.  Right before you walk down Main Street. A wonderful stylist took us right away due to our reservation.  She covered my son in Mickey stickers and went to work.  My son was so busy with the stickers (eating them, resticking them on everything, being goofy, etc.) that he didn't even notice he was getting his haircut.  It came out super cute!  For the first haircut, he received a 1st Haircut pair of ears, a clump of his hair, and certificate.  Definitely plan on coming back to do something special for him in the future.

Pre haircut

Eating those Mickey stickers....haircut?  What haircut?

Haircut ears

Post haircut...the closest picture I can get.

Fancy dining with infants

We LOVE the Yachtsman Steakhouse  at the Yacht and Beach Club.  But it can be a little fancy for a baby.  But we have done with twice with both our children when they were younger than 1.  We are not experts but this plan has worked for us.

• Bring plenty of snacks.  Sometimes the kids will eat the fancy food...most times not!  :)  And snacks keep them busy.
• Chose an early dining time.  You will usually get more attention and the wait staff is more prepared for kids around this time.  Oh yeah, and the kids are less cranky then too.  Plus you will have time for ice cream afterwards....if everyone behaves!
• Bring surprise toys.  Little dollar store toys can keep them busy for 5-10 minutes at a time and it has worked out well for us.  Kept them busy, and us enjoying our meal. 
• We usually have a favorite TV show or DVD that we have brought to our meal to keep the kids entertained.
• Run them around before the meal, but not too much where they're exhausted and cranky.  Just enough not to want to do ring-around-the-rosey. 
• Try not to stress too much if they have a hard time.  We have had meals where one of us walks the kid(s) around and another eats.  Not ideal, but it has worked.

Overall, Disney World restaurants are usually very kid-friendly.  Relax and enjoy.  Most guests are with other children and understand. 

Cutie pie enjoying some Puffs at the Yachtsman Steakhouse.

Do your favorite thing first!!!

One of my favorite things to do in Walt Disney World is to see Cinderella's castle.  I love that one moment that makes me feel that fairy tales do come true!  One vacation we did a few other parks and Magic Kingdom, where Cinderella's castle is, one of the later days in our trip.  It feels like I rushed through those days to get to it.  On our last vacation, we waiting until our second to last day to see Mickey at Chef Mickey's for breakfast.  All vacation long, my daughter (my son was too young to talk but LOVES the big mouse) kept asking for Mickey and we kept telling her later on.  Both kids were overjoyed with seeing him, but I wish we did it earlier in the vacation.

My point is to find out what you really want to do the most, and do it...as early as you can in the vacation.  This next vacation, we booked Chef Mickey's for the afternoon we arrive in Florida so the kids can meet the main characters immediately. 

Kids at Chef Mickey's (April 2012)



Pool day!!!

Disney hotels, or any of the Orlando area hotels, have amazing pools!  My favorite is Disney's Beach and Yacht Club's Stormalong Bay with a sandy bottom and beach area.  Next March we are bringing our kids and I can't wait! 

I know tickets are expensive, so save some money and for every two days at the parks, have a "down" day of just some pool and relaxation time.  The parks can be stressful and overwhelming for everyone.  Enjoy these fantastic pools and provide a welcome break for your family.  The downtime will be worth it so you can conquer even more the next day. 

Whenever we follow this 2 days of parks/1 day pool, our trip is much more enjoyable.  Even do most of the day at the pool doing some of the many Disney events also offered (trivia contests, belly flop contest on the cruises, etc.), and maybe a park at night. 

Yacht and Beach Club pool - from our room when we got engaged (2004)

Bay Lake Towers pool - Taylor (18 months) running around the splash area (2009)

Goofy Pool on the Disney Magic (2011) - Taylor and Daddy are the only ones in the pool, and yes that is Pluto making an appearance and Tinkerbell on the TV big screen!  It was around 10am and we were docked at Grand Cayman and the water was fairly cold...that's why no one is there! :)

Sheraton Vistana Villages

In the past 4 years, we have visited the Sheraton Vistana Villages, located on International Drive twice.  We had a one bedroom and two bedroom suite in the St. Augustine section and had a fantastic experience both times.  The rooms were very nicely decorated and clean.  Housekeeping was wonderful.  Any requests were handled promptly and courteously.  There are many buildings in this hotel, but we prefer the "newer" areas, specfically the St. Augustine area.  This is where the pirate ship pool is.  We never even made it to the main pool both trips (guess we should book another for research right? ;)).  The pirate ship pool is huge and a ton of fun!  A tiki bar next to it and very family friendly. 

The rooms are HUGE!  The kitchens had huge islands that I wish my own kitchen had.  Utensils and basic kitchen items (soap, towels, pots, bakeware etc.) were included.  Dining area to fit 8 people.  A screened in porch that was a joy to sit in when the kids went to sleep.  Comfy couches.  DVD player.  The master bathroom had a huge jacuzzi tub.  Almost too big shower stall as it got cold it was so spacious!  Separate toilet room.  Shared bathroom was standard with double sink.  Beds were really comfortable.  Washer and dryer was great.

The only thing we did not like about this hotel was we asked for a crib. I called almost a half dozen times before our trip to confirm it was a full size crib.  We had an almost 2-year-old who would not sleep in a pack and play.  The crib arrived and it was one of the junior cribs.  This was all they had we were informed.  It took a couple days of searching but we found a wonderful crib rental company that helped us.

Definitely one of our favorite off-site hotels.  Highly recommend. Note this is also a timeshare property and they will call to provide you with a "complimentary welcome package" but it is supposedly a timeshare sales talk.  We skipped it each time and never heard back from them.  You can go through a timeshare presentation and I think they give you Disney tickets or whatever the promotion is.  Time is money but it may be worth it if you have a few hours to spare and may be interested in the resort.

Here are some pictures. 

Our building.

Picture of the one bedroom with Taylor's crib in the living room.  Sorry for the mess...it was taken in the middle of the trip.  The crib we rented outside of the hotel.



Kitchen area

Big tub in the master bathroom.

Where to stay? Onsite vs. Offsite

One of the biggest decisions you will make on your Disney vacation is where to stay.  Overall, we prefer to stay on Disney property but we have done both and found pros and cons to both.  A later post will address hotels specifically.  Here is our overview. 

On Disney Property
Pros:

• You are right in the "action".  You are still on Disney property and feel like it 24/7.  Each resort is located a "hop, skip and a jump" from one of the parks or Downtown Disney.
• Disney transportation is fantastic.  Forget about your rental car...take a bus, boat or monorail where ever you want to go at Disney World. 
• Hotels are available in various price levels. 
• Hotels are themed so while you left the parks, you're still surrounded by Mickey and friends.
• Kids programs are amazing.  I'm talking about pool activities, craft events, trivia nights, etc. not a drop off program.
• There is some sort of food option available at all hotels.  In the Value resorts there are food courts.  Every other resort (except for a couple Moderates) has a restaurant and usually another quick serve option.
• Disney's Magical Express (transportation to and from the airport) is included and eliminates the need for any type of transportation.  Plus you check your bags at the airport (for most airlines), and they arrive at your hotel that evening...check them and forget them!  Great convenience!

Cons:

• Disney transportation can take a while.  At some hotels and during some times (especially after park closing or fireworks), you may need to wait multiple buses before getting on one.
• Disney's Magical Express can take a while as well.  We've waited almost an hour to get on a bus to our resort.  Had to wait to fill up the bus and then drop off everyone at different hotels.  Depends on how old your children are and their personalities, but this can be a pain.
• Sometimes you need a break from Mickey and the theming can get too much for those that aren't so crazy about the mouse.
• The rooms can be small.  Smaller than some of the rooms you can get off-site for the same price.

Off-site Hotels
Pros:

• A lot more room for your money.  You can get some fantastic deals on a number of hotels on International Drive that will be suites larger than my first apartment for the cost of a Value resort. 
• A break from the Disney madness!
• Some hotels offer transportation to the parks.

Cons:

• You will need to drive or take a shuttle everywhere.  "Right outside Disney gate" will still equal a good 45 minutes of driving to the gate, around Disney property, finding parking which is usually much farther than where Disney transportation can go.  We estimated an hour of transportation for our hotel less than 5 miles from the gate when we stayed off-site to our dining reservation anywhere.  On site, we would only estimate a half hour prior to our reservation we would need to leave our room.  Time = money
• Those shuttles to the parks usually come only 4 or 5 times a day. If your child has a meltdown between then, you either wait or get a cab.  Disney transportation is every 20 minutes.  Never waited more than 45 minutes and that was during a peak time.

For us, honestly it comes down to what you want to pay and can live with in terms of size of the room.  When the kids were little, the bigger room size or getting an additional bedroom off-site outweighed our decision to stay on-site.  If we had a larger budget or found a great deal, we stayed on Disney property.  But if we could deal with a regular hotel room, our preference was always a Disney hotel as there are several hotels at all price points to consider.

Skinned knees, bee stings, night terrors and more...

Maybe you've been in this situation before...
"Taylor, slow down....don't run....DON'T RUN!!!" (Insert fall)  "Waaaahhhhh!"

When my kids get excited, they run/skip/etc. everywhere!  I love seeing that enthusiasum and carefree nature.  But every so often this results in skinned knees.  Usually I have a small first aid kit on me (bandaids, first aid spray and Tylenol), but rest assured, there is a First Aid Center in every park. 

The First Aid Center is invaluable for any type of emergency at Disney World.  Bee stings, stomach bug, skinned knees, you name it!  They gave us a number for the pharmacy I posted about HERE when my daughter wasn't feeling good.  Keep this in the back of your mind...but hopefully you will never need it.

We had the (unfortunate) experience to use the Medical Center onboard the Disney Magic in January 2011.  It was the very last night of our cruise and we had a ton of fun the entire week.  Our almost 3-year-old, Taylor was fantastic the entire vacation and would stay up later to experience all the fun the boat had to offer.  Her last night she got invited to a special event with the characters at 10pm(!).  Her bedtime is normally 7:30pm.  We kept her up, but the heat from Castaway Cay and excitement from the event (around 10 kids were invited to meet EVERY character) got to her.  Around 2am she woke up screaming.  Screaming on the top of her lungs and her eyes were rolling back in her head.  I tried to get her to look at me but she wouldn't.  We never saw her like this and were very worried she was having a seizure.  We called the Medical Center and the doctor met us there. We walked in and he helped us immediately.  He was super nice and helpful.  By this point, Taylor fell back asleep and it was confirmed she did not have a seizure from his tests.  While I stayed awake to make sure it didn't happen again (and my poor husband attempted to sleep in Taylor's bed!), I was very comforted that if something was wrong, they were more than capable to handle it.  The Medical Center looked like a small ER with everything you can imagine!  I was very impressed.  And we were comforted that while it looks like Taylor just had a "night terror", they were compassionate and understanding the entire time.  I hope we never have to use them again (although with my daredevil baby boy I'm not too sure!), but if we do I know we will be getting excellent care!

Sunscreen

Don't forget to pack sunscreen!  While in the cooler months it doesn't seem to be "that hot", you can still burn!  And during the other times of the year, it seems like you're packing everything in the kitchen sink, don't forget one of the very basics - sunscreen!!!  A good sunburn, outside of the skin cancer risk,  will make everyone miserable!  It's not worth the extra 2 minutes to spray some on everyone every couple hours. 

Oh and if you forget to pack it, the Baby Care Stations and resort hotels carry it in the gift shops.  But plan on paying quite the premium.  If you have a car, stop by any local pharmacy or grocery store. 

Favorite Disney links

Quick post while my youngest is resting on me...

Two sites I frequent regarding Disney information are All Ears and Disboards.

http://www.allearsnet.com/ - Everything Disney!  No joke.  Menus to anything and everything in Disney.  Ride information.  Contact numbers.  Special events.  Add a weekly newsletter (that I LOVE!) and you have more information on Disney than a casual Disney traveler knows what to do with. Basically if you want to know anything about Disney World....go here! 

http://www.disboards.com/ - I am a child of the late 80's/90's.  I grew up on Prodigy and AOL...frequenting message boards and the like.  Disboards is a message board for Disney fans.  And even if you aren't a fan of message boards, give this site a shot.  Have a question, ask!  Someone will know the answer.  Need advice, for example, do I bring a stoller for my 4-year-old?  Or what is the best character dining?  This site is the place to go!  For cruise information, this is my favorite resource as well.  There aren't many strong sites about Disney cruising, but I lived on the Cruise board for several months before my cruise.  Even met some amazing fellow cruisers.  My screen name is Melissa&Shawn (signed up pre-kids) so feel free to message me anytime!

Kids turn into angels on vacation...right?

When you picture your Disney vacation, your kids are true angels right?  Of course!  Reality?  I wish!!! 

Just a quick post that you need to anticipate your kids' behavior to be similar, if not worse (?!!!) than they are at home.  Please understand that Disney World or a Disney cruise is A LOT to take in from any person's perspective, especially children.  Add a new environment overall, less sleep (probably), the heat (probably), all the walking, and excitement of rides/characters/etc. and it will make anyone cranky. 

Please keep this in mind and take things slow and expectations reasonable.  A Disney vacation will create memories to last a lifetime nonetheless!

P.S.  And when you need the kids to act better, a "call" to Mickey while in Disney World works like a charm!!!

THE Dress!

My daughter loves dressing up, as any normal 3 or 4-year-old.  Of course the minute we step into Magic Kingdom she wanted to wear her princess dresses.  Our last trip, Rapunzel was the "IT" dress.  In fact they didn't have any on property!  But prior to our trip, I made a quick trip to our local Disney Store and got her a Rapunzel dress (on sale!) for a fraction of the cost of any princess dress on site.  I wrapped it in some tissue paper and gave it to her as a surprise and she LOVED it!  No begging for another highly overpriced dress.  That day we got countless comments and Taylor looked and acted like our sweet princess!  Money and sanity saved!

Traveling with your baby

We've traveled to Disney twice with non-walking babies so their mode of transportation was limited.  Either they would sit in the stroller or we would carry them.  My kids are 90% and above for their height and weight from 2-weeks-old, so after a few minutes my arms would hurt holding them.  We've used the Baby Bjorn for a while, especially when our kids were infants.  But I found a new baby item that I LOVE!  The Ergo can be used from newborn...

(Cooper was one day shy of 1 month old)

...to baby....

(Cooper @ 10 months old in Disney - France part of Epcot)

...to toddler.

(Taylor @ 18 months in Disney - Animal Kindom, showing the back carry.  P.S.  My husband thought it would be a good idea to give her a cold water to drink...it ended up down my back!)

I've also figured out the side carry via some YouTube tutorials and it makes carrying the kids so much easier.  The kids love it too!  Highly recommend!

*Please note, this is my recommendation and I have not been compensated by the above company in any way.  This is truly from my own experience.

Fast Pass...why wait on lines!

Let me introduce you to one of the best inventions at Walt Disney World....Fast Pass!

These wonderful "tickets" allow you to bypass the line for that particular ride. 

Let me start from the beginning....

• Most "well known" rides will have a Fast Pass ticket kiosk to the side of the ride.  There will be a time period posted above the kiosk to allow you to chose whether you want the ticket or not.
• If you think you want to ride this ride during those posted times, insert your park ticket into the kiosk machine.
• Out will come this wonderful ticket that you keep until your time.
• When your time comes, head to the Fast Pass line and bypass the wait time.  Most times you will be on a ride within 10 minutes or less! 

It is fantastic, especially when you have young kids. 

There are some drawbacks.  You used to be able to go to the ride anytime AFTER your posted time.  But this year (2012), they changed this and only give you a grace period of 10 minutes after your time listed on the ticket.  So if you don't plan to be in the area, don't get a Fast Pass for the ride.

Also, if you get a Fast Pass for a ride, you can not get another Fast Pass until after this ticket time has passed.  So for the pass above, I could get another Fast Pass after 3:45pm. 

Special note for Toy Story Mania ride in Hollywood Studios.  Plan on waiting until the park opens and DASHING to the line to get a Fast Pass for this ride.  Otherwise plan on at least a 60 minute or above wait to ride.  I'm not joking.  It is like a marathon-like atmosphere at the beginning of the park day to get on line for the tickets and we've waiting a half hour just to get our Fast Passes for this ride.  But it's worth it!

A $10 Balloon

The standard Mickey balloon at Disney World in early 2012 was $10.  That isn't the light up Tinkerbell one that my daughter chose...that was $15.  We spent $25 on two balloons.  But if you get suckered into buying them like we did, here are some tips about Disney balloons.

1.  Tie them on your stroller.  You don't want to have to buy them again as your child bursts into hysterics because they let go of it.  They come with weights but make sure they are tied tightly as well.  If you tie them on your stroller it will be another good way to find your stroller (although probably not the only stroller with $25 worth of balloons).

2.  They are a fantastic toy to play with at the hotel while you get things situation for the day, or night.  My kids never tire playing with the balloons - especially when they are younger. 

3.  You CAN bring it on the airplane home with you.  Every flight I've been on coming home from Orlando has someone with their balloon(s) in the overhead bins.  I'm still too scared it will pop and they'll think I'm carrying a bomb...or worse yet, terrify for my children and have them scream the rest of the flight.  My daughter is scared of fireworks...from a distance...can you imagine if a balloon popped in the small, enclosed airplane?!  But if you are brave, try it.  It's a nice souvenir that will remind everyone of your vacation.

4.  While I don't bring the balloon home all blown up, I use nail clippers to pop a hole at the very bottom.  I put the balloon in my toiletry bag so I don't lose it and use a little personal helium tank we have for parties to blow them up as a treat for the kids. 

There you go...how to stretch that $10 balloon to make it a little more worthwhile!

Pacifier holder

Quick post for a packing reminder if you have babies still using their pacifiers.  Pack a pacifier holder - one of those clips that attach to their shirt.  It may seem obvious but I brought a cute Pooh bear clip on our last trip...that Cooper loved to throw.  It didn't clip onto his shirt well and I'm pretty sure a newborn could pull it off.  While cute, not functional.  So we drove to the local Babies R Us and they only had plastic clips that were actually worse. 
Here is a rare moment that the clip was working...

After the trip, I immediately went to purchase clips that have a strong clip on them.  Amazon had them for around $8.  Before purchasing I went on etsy.com and found a much better option!!!  This woman sells amazing clips for half the price!!!  And it is handmade so she has awesome designs - some even Disney related!!!  The clip came fast and we use them every day!  Highly recommend!
Pacifier Clips
*Please note, this is just my opinion.  I have not been paid for the recommendation.  This is from my personal experience only.

Up, up and away!

Obviously, it's really hot in Disney almost every time of the year.  We've been in December where I was in tank top and shorts (although I was pregnant so maybe it was the hormones!).  I love to wear my hair down, as does my little girl.  Almost every day we start off with our hair styled down and within a couple hours in the parks it is thrown into a pony tail.  So keep that hair up, up and away!  Experiment with new hairstyles that will keep hair out of their and your face and shoulders.  It may take some extra trip getting ready but well worth it. 
Here is my standard go-to hair for Disney. 

And if your daughter is anything like mine and insists her hair be down, bring a brush and hair ties in  your day bag.  She will thank you later in the day.  :)

Ribbons

There are LOTS of strollers in Walt Disney World!  And you will probably pass a dozen or so of your stroller each trip....probably each day!  Many times we would get out of a ride or show and be faced with searching for our stroller among hundreds.  My tip is to add a bright colored ribbon to the handle of your stroller.  Big, thick, bright ribbon will not only alert you to where your stroller is....but alert OTHERS that is not their stroller!  Seriously, we've almost grabbed someone else's stroller accidently many times. 

Another use for ribbons is in your little girl's hair.  That's an obvious one.  But it seems like in Walt Disney World or on the cruise, we saw big, beautiful ribbon bows everywhere!  So don't forget to pack them!

Don't fall!

When my daughter transitioned from the crib to her toddler bed and now full size bed, we put a secure bed rail on her bed.  But we travel often and didn't know what to do.  Our first trip, we lined the bed with pillows, stacked two high!  And maybe a few on the floor...just in case.  I didn't get any sleep that night.  Every time I heard her move, I jumped up to make sure she was OK.  So the next trip we ordered inflatable bed rails from One Step Ahead.
One Step Ahead - Travel Inflatable Bed Rails
For some reason it won't let me post a picture.  It was an excellent purchase as they pack up small, stay on the bed, and keep her safe.  It allows everyone to get a good night sleep!
One note, we were at a hotel this month that the mattress cover was slippery and the rails would slide.  I had to go under the mattress pad and it worked perfectly.

*Please note, this is my recommendation and I have not been compensated by the above company in any way.  This is truly from my own experience.

Bubbles, fun bubbly bubbles!

We love bubbles in our house!  Before our trip, I made a stop to the Dollar Store and got a few smaller bubble bottles to put in our day bag.  Whenever we were waiting for a show, character, or line, I would pull out a bottle of bubbles.  Depending on where we were, I would let Taylor blow bubbles to keep her busy.  It kept her busy and happy.  It kept my youngest entertained trying to pop the bubbles.  It also amused some of the kids in line as well.  An easy, cheap way to keep the kids happy and entertained!

Just a note, make sure the bubbles don't stain.  This "cute" butterfly bubbles we found a local zoo and I thought would be fun to take on the trip but they stained her white shirt.  The cheap, Dollar store bubbles worked much better!

Disney Dining

Disney dining can be intimidating.  There are lots of restaurants between the parks and resorts.  Lots of different price levels.  I've heard several people who haven't taken a Disney vacation in years tell me that they are just going to "wing it".  Figure it out as they go.  But depending on the time of year and any promotions going on, reservations to Disney restaurants could be scarse.  Several times we have gone, even in non-busy times, there are no reservations during regular dining times that day.  So plan ahead if you want to do a table service restaurant.  In the future we will go into more detail on our favorite restaurants but this link will bring you to the best resource for Disney menus and pricing.  All Ears Net - Dining

Disney Potties

Some things you don't notice until you have kids.  One of them is automatic flushers that are present in almost all of Disney's bathrooms.  This can be terrifying for a young child.  Especially my daughter Taylor.  We were on a Disney cruise on the Magic just as she was getting interested in potty training.  The flushers on a cruise make an extremely loud noise.  Enough that it would send her in hysterics anytime one flushed.  It could be in the cabin or even just standing in a public stall with me.  Hysterical as in trying to crawl under the stall or screaming at the top of her lungs.  It was quite an experience.  Needless to say, potty training was delayed several months due to this experience. 

Now that she has been trained for quite some time, she has gotten used to all public bathrooms....with a little help from a nifty invention - a Post-it note.  Simply pack a little pack of Post-it notes and stick it over the sensor.  I have the kids leave the stall and then take off the note to flush.  Has worked miracles for us. 

H2O

Florida water tastes different to me.  And according to a message board on Disney, disboards.com, that I frequent, others agree with me as well.  Anyone with babies on formula, you will want to buy a gallon or two of filtered water just for bottles because your baby will not be used to it.  We also buy bottles of water as it is much more expensive in the parks.  We dump a little out of a couple bottles of water each night and put them in the freezer.  Then right before we head out to the parks, we take the bottles out and put them in our day bags.  By the time we want to drink them they are usually almost already defrosted but still cold.  One of our strollers has a freezer bag (Baby Jogger) that has worked wonders and we didn't need to freeze bottles.  But that's an additional "bag" security needs to check at each park which can be a hassle. 

Baby Safety Bag

Every baby has their own personality.  With my first child, I read countless books, magazines, websites, etc. to prepare for traveling with a young child.  One of the things I kept reading about was to make sure you check floors and safety proof your room before your child gets into things.  So I put together a handy bag of items I would need.  Never did my daughter need it.  My second child, Cooper, on the other hand....I think he looks for electrical outlets he can stick his fingers in!  Cabinets to open - check.  Toilets to stick his hand into - check.  Chairs to climb - check.  You name it...he is into it! 

This is him at our hotel getting into the toilet paper.  We let him since we could get ready and it wasn't dangerous.  But if this is any indication, you can imagine what else he got into!

So I pack a handy bag of "baby safety items".  Here is what I include:

• Outlet covers
• Shoelaces - tie around cabinet hooks a child shouldn't get into
• Masking tape - tape down anything that shouldn't be opened such as cabinets without locks.  (Masking tape comes off a lot easier than duct tape)

That's it!  I put it all in a little bag I found at the Dollar store.  It goes anywhere we have an overnight and has kept at least my little destructor at bay so far.

Would love any additional recommendations or suggestions you have to add to my list.

Character Dining

Our first daughter, Taylor, has always loved the characters in Disney.  This is her at 8 months old with her first reaction (Tusker House @ Animal Kingdom)...

She was smitten with those "guys" and meeting them continues to be a highlight of her vacation.  Instead of waiting on many lines to meet each character at the parks, we book a dining meal with characters.  Most of the time they are buffets so we do one a day to fill up and have snacks the rest of the day.  Since we need to eat anyway, this really works out best as the characters come to our table and spend time with the kids individually.  And lately, we've been able to tell Taylor that she needed to eat the rest of her yogurt or Mickey would be upset.  She believes us and we can get something healthy in her with all the excitement going on.  Not sure if that will work much more though.  :) 

So avoid the lines at the park and use your valuable time to ride the attractions, do a few character dining meals.  Maybe we're just big Disney fans but we think the food is fairly good too.

Which character dining to chose?  In short, find out who your child wants to see and find out where s/he will be and book there to start.  I hope to do a few reviews of our favorites in future posts. 

Overall here are our "can't miss" character dining experiences:
1.  Play and Dine's Playhouse Disney Live Character Buffet in Hollywood Studios - Disney Junior characters
2.  Royal Table at Cinderella's Castle in Magic Kingdom - Cinderalla and other Princesses
3.  Crystal Palace in Magic Kingdom - Pooh and characters
4.  Chef Mickey's at Contemporary Resort - Mickey, Minnie, and friends

Oh and if you're wondering if our son loves characters as well....

Not so much! :)  This was his first reaction (Crystal Palace @ Magic Kingdom) and he spent the rest of our character dining in my arms.  So try to have your children meet at large "in person" character before your Disney trip to see their reaction before booking character dining.  I have had friends book a character dining each day of their trip to find out their child was terrified of the characters. 

Where did we park???

We love to stay onsite where the buses or boats bring us right to the front of the park but we have also stayed offsite and drove to the parks ourselves.  The parking lots in Disney World are really big!  Enough that they have trams that will bring you closer to the front of the park.  After a long day of visiting the park, you will most likely be pretty tired and remembering where you parked might be a challenge.  Luckily Disney tried to make it fairly easy to remember.  For example, you could be at Mickey 24.  To make things a bit easier, we take a photo of the endcap of the aisle where we parked.  Then we forget about it until we get back to the parking lot.

Sick on vacation?

Vacations are planned to be perfect.  No one gets sick on vacation right?  Wrong.  Unfortunately all the sightseeing, getting up early, staying up late, going from the heat outside to the air conditioning inside, airplane rides, germs everywhere, and more it's not uncommon for someone to get sick. 

My daughter was on her second trip to Disney at 18-months-old.  It was really hot for September and she was used to two solid naps during the day and we only went back to the room once for nap on vacation.  On night 5 of 7, she was up all night and I slept with her rubbing her back from all the congestion.  It was just a cold but she was miserable.  We were all exhausted from not sleeping.  After napping almost all morning, we decided to go back to Magic Kingdom for a family picture by the castle as we hadn't done that yet and go back to the resort.  Here is our poor little baby not feeling great...

We decided to go into the First Aid Station which is located right by the Baby Care Center (between Casey's Corner and Crystal Palace before the castle) to see if they had any saline spray or something to help her feel better.  They didn't have anything we could use for her cold but they gave us information on a delivery pharmacy that could help. 

Turner Drugs - 407-828-8125; http://turnerdrug.com/

We ordered a nasal aspirator and saline spray for children and they delivered it within 2 hours.  Apparently if you call the front desk of any Disney resort they can give you their number as well.  We paid probably around $15 for both....but by that night, Taylor was feeling much better and it was well worth it.  By the time we ordered it, took a few pictures, had a late lunch, and walked back to the resort (we stayed at Bay Lake Towers that visit) it was waiting for us at the front desk!  They were very nice and easy to order from as well.  *Please note, I am not affliliated or paid by Turner Drugs. 

Also, obviously if you have a car there are several pharmacies offsite.  Several are located along International Drive. 

Sneakers

On vacation I try to dress the kids as cute as possible.  Really, when are you going to take as many pictures as you do when you're on vacation?  Out come the adorable sandals, cute dress up shoes, etc.  But when you're in Disney you will walk A LOT!  You and your kids - even if they are in a stroller most of the time.  Flip flops, sandals (even the super cute ones!), princess dress up shoes (because little girls have to match their dresses right?!), etc. are not a good idea.  You will most likely be walking miles...yes, miles each day.  Walk to the bus/car, walk from the bus to security, security to all the attractions, stand waiting for the parade/fireworks/show/etc., and then walk back to bus/car, and back to hotel.  Almost every vacation I drag out the flip flops and attempt a day with them.  It's Florida and it's hot and I don't want my feet covered!  But it's a mistake...every time.  So get a nice pair of sneakers and workout socks work wonders.  Your feet will thank you!
Oh and if your son or daughter "insists" upon wearing the super cool flip flops or have-to Cinderella heels, pack their sneakers and socks in your backpack.  They'll thank you for it later.  And you won't have an exhausted, in-pain child on your hands. 

Welcome!

Welcome to my blog page!  I'm very new at this blogging, but a "seasoned veteran" in terms of Disney travel.  My family and I like to travel to Disney around twice a year, more if we are lucky!  In the past four years, my husband, Shawn, and I welcomed two children, Taylor and Cooper, and have traveled with a child (or children) on a Disney vacation 6 times.  Along the way, I've learned many tips, recommedations, etc. on traveling with kids to the happiest place on earth.  Often I am asked tips on a Disney vacation and love to share what I know.  Almost every time I forget something and wish I had a list or better organization of tips.  I figure blogging will help me organize this information and make it public for others to see as well.  So welcome to my blog site and I hope you enjoy.  I would love your comments, feedback and any recommendations. 
My family on our latest trip...

My husband (Shawn), my daughter (Taylor, 4), Cinderella, me (Melissa), and Cooper (10 months)